Carton



M, 1956 W. G. SHE/mn CARTON 3 Sheets-Shea l Filed Nov. 15,v 1954 IN V EN TOR. W/LL 7AM 6. 5MM/2D ATTO/@VE 7/5 Nov. 13, 1956 w. G. SHEARD CARTON 5 Sheets-Sham 5 Filed Nov. 1.5, i954 Flag United States Patent CARToN William G. Sheard, Cleveland, Ohio, assignor to General Container Corporation, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application November 15, 1954, Serial No. 468,887

9 Claims. (Cl. 20o- 7) This invention relates to cartons and in particular to a foldable corrugated iiberboard wardrobe type carton in which clothes are stored on hangers and the like.

Shipment and storage of coats, suits, dresses and other anticlesof wearing apparel on hangers is often desirable and advantageous and for this purpose various types of wardrobes have been provided for enclosing hanger mounted clothing. However, wardrobes for the most part generally take the form of permanently assembled structures which are bulky and cumbersome to handle and which take up an inordinate and excessive amount of space when not in use. This disadvantage of permanent type wardrobes makes their use as shipping containers for clothes uneconomical and inconvenient because of the space lthey occupy when shipped to the user and when laid aside `after use.

A general object of my invention is the provision of an essentially two-piece lberboard canton which can be folded hat when not lin use and which can be assembled and disassembled quickly and conveniently without the use of special tools or securing means to provide an enclosure for hanger mounted articles.` Another object is the provision of a lightweight carton which is sturdy and rigid and is capable of supporting and enclosing a plurality of hanger mounted articles of clothing. Another object is the provision of aAWardrobe-type carton that is relatively inexpensive to manufacture. "A further object is the provision `of clothes storing carton which fully encloses and protects the stored contents and has interlocking hinged parts providing ready acces-s to the interior of the cart-on for placing clotheslin `and removing clothes from the carton. Still another object is the provision of means for distributing the load of the contents over a substantial area of the berboard sidewalls thereby avoiding any tendency of crushing or tearing the liberboard. A further object is the provision of a carton with a cover that can be opened from either the front or rear of the carton to facilitate inspection of lthe contents.

These and other objects of my invention will become apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure l is a perspective view of the assembled carton with the upper part open to permit access to the interior of the carton.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the assembled carton with top closed.

Figure 3 is a plan view of .a blank for the lower or body portion of the carton.

Figure 4 is `a fragmentary perspective view of the upper end of the carton side wall and the load distributing clip in their pre-assembly position.

Figure 5 is an elevation of `a por-tion of the upper end of the carton sidewall with the clip assembled thereon.

Figure 6 is a plan view of abl'ank for the cover of the carton, the scale being twice the scale of `Figure 3 for clarity of details.

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Figure 7 is a perspective View `of the under side of a partially folded cover.

Figure 8 is a perspective view of the fully folded cover.

Figure 9 is an enlarged transverse section through the side wall of the folded cover, the section being taken on the line 9--9 of Figure 8.

Figure l() is an enlarged section taken on the line itl-iti of Figure 8.

Figure ll is a transverse section of the upper portion of the carton, the section being taken on the line 11-11 of Figure 2.

Figure 12 is a longitudinal section taken on the line lf2-l2 of Figure ll.

A preferred embodiment of my invention is illustrated in Figures l and 2 as a two-piece carton 1 having -a vertically elongated body 2 with a closed bottom end 3 and .an open top end ll. The body is generally rectangularin cross section and has opposed and parallel front and rear walls 5 and 6, respectively,\connected by parallel side walls 7 and 3. The upper portion of the front wall 5 is hinged to the lower part to form a drop door or ap 9.

The open top end 4 of the body 2 is closed by a caplike cover, `generally indicated at 1li, which telescopes over and ts snugly around the marginal exterior portions of the walls of the body. Cover lli) comprises two halfsections 1l and i2 hinged at their inner longitudinally extending ends to a central cross beam 13 which ent-ends the full width of the carton and from which stored articles are suspended. The depending portion or side wall of cover section` il overlies` and locks the drop door 9 ofthe body front wal-l 5 when the carton is closed; these parts being swingable upwardly and outwardly respectively to present a wide opening through which the various articles can be passed for hanging them on and removing them from beam i3. Hanger .holes ld inthe beam 13 facilitate hanging and `spacing of the articles in the carton.

For convenience of terminology in describing the carton and its components, the front of the carton is that part in which the drop door 9 is located, and the back and side parts are described in relation to the front part. The width of the carton refers to the spacing between the side walls 7 and 8 and is idimensionally greater than the depth of the carton, that is, the spacing between the front and back portions. ln decribing the cover 10, per se, length refers to the long dimension measured widthwise of the carton, and width refers to the shorter overall dimension measured from front to rear of the carton.

The body 2 of the carton is formed from a single sheet or blank of corrugated tiberboard or the like, see Figur/e3, having three spaced longitudinal score lines 17 which define the front and back walls 5 and 6, and the side walls 78 of the body; the score lines .i7 preferably being aligned with the corrugations as shown.,A The sidewalls preferably are of shorter width than the front and back walls. Transverse score line 18 near one end of the sheet, the lower end as viewed in Figure 3, defines with the end of the sheet bottom end flaps 5a and 6&7@ and 8a, respectively connected to the front, back and side walls, and separated from each other by slots 19 aligned with longitudinal score lines 17. The length of the bottom flaps, that is, the vertical distance between score line 13 and the lower end of the sheet as viewed in the drawing, preferably is approximately one-half the width of one of the side walls 7, S, and these flaps when folded inwardly during setupy of the carton body constitute a bottom closure for the carton.

The opposite end, the upper end as viewed in Figure 3, of the body blank is scored from end to end along a transverse line 21 which defines with the upper end of the `blank the top flaps 5b, 6b, 7b and 8b. These top flaps are sep'- 3 arated from each other by end slots 22, and, additionally, the side wall top flaps 7b and 8b have central longitudinal end slots 23 and 24. A portion of the length of the front wall is severed along the line 25 from the adjacent portion of the side wall 7 and is connected to the lower front wall portion along the transverse score line 28 to form the front drop-down door 9 of the carton body. Top flaps 5b, 6b, 7b and 8b preferably are relatively short longitudinally compared to the length of the bottom aps.

If desired, each of the side walls 7 and 8 may be scored centrally to furnish hand grip flaps 30, 30 defined by tear lines 31 and crease lines 32 and which fold inwardly about the crease lines to provide side openings for convenient lifting and handling of the assembled carton.

In order to form the body 2 into a rectangular tubular shape, the body walls 5, 6, 7 and 8 successively are folded about adjacent score lines 17 until adjacent walls are substantially at right angles with each other, and the outer ends 33, 34 of the folded blank are secured together for a distance D between score lines 18 and 28 by suitable means such as tape T, see Figures l and 2. Bottom flaps 7a, 8a are folded inwardly and aps 5a and 6a thereafter folded to overlie aps 7a and 8a and are secured together by tape to provide a strong end closure. Upper end flaps 5b, 6b, 7b and 8b are folded inwardly with flaps 5b and 6b preferably making a right angle with the front and back walls 5 and 6, respectively, and with aps 7b and 8b making an acute angle with the side walls 7 and 8, respectively.

In order to reinforce the upper ends of the side walls at the point of support of cross beam 13 on which the clothes are hung, an inverted substantially V-shaped preferably metallic clip 35, see'Figures 4 and 5, is tted over the top central portion of each of the side walls 7 and 8. The

inner leg 36 of each clip 35 is formed with a downwardly narrowing recess 37 which extends through and from the crown of the clip to a point spaced from the lower edge of the leg 36, so that a strip 38 underlies the recess. The clip is designed to t over the folded top flap of each side wall so that recess 37 in the clip registers with each slot 23, 24 in flaps 7b and 8b. When so mounted, the outer leg 38 of the clip lies flush against the outer surface of the vertical side wall while the inner leg 36 extends downwardly at an acuate angle with the side wall. The strip 38 which underlies the recess is therefore spaced inwardly from the plane of the carton side wall. The clip is considerably wider than its recess 37 and receives the ends of cross beam 13 in its recess 37 to engage and tightly grip same and to support and distribute the beam load over a substantial portion of the upper end edge of each side wall thereby preventing the tearing or crushing of the corrugated liberboard by undue concentration of the load on the side walls of the body 2.

The cover is formed from a single sheet of corrugated berboard, see Figure 6, which is divided by laterally spaced longitudinally extending score lines 39 and 40 into two substantially identical outer portions or sections, corresponding to and designated as sections 11 and 12, and an intermediate portion 41 defined by longitudinal score lines 39 and 40, and which connects the outer sections 11 and 12 together. Since sections 11 and 12 are substantially identical in shape, size and form, the following description is directed to one of the sections only and like reference characters on the drawings indicate like parts on the two sections. The corrugations in the cover blank preferably extend longitudinally of the blank as shown.

Cover section 12, viewed at the upper part of Figure 6, comprises a central panel 43 having a long side flap 44 connected thereto along and dened by longitudinal score line 45, and short side ilaps 46, 47 connected to opposite longitudinal ends of panel 43 along transverse score lines 48, 49. The long side ap 44 has terminal flap portions 51, 52 defined by transverse score lines 53, 54 which are laterally aligned with score lines 48, 49, respectively.

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4 The short side flaps 46, 47 are separated from terminal ap portions 51, 52, respectively, by longitudinal slots 55, 56 which extend outwardly from transverse score lines The short side flaps 46, 47 are divided by transverse pairs of closely spaced central score lines 57, 57 and 58, 58 into half parts 46a, 46b and 47a, 47b, respectively. The outer or longitudinal edges of the short side flaps are formed with short rectangularly shaped locking tabs 61, 62, and rectangular openings 63, 64, longitudinally aligned with the tabs 61, 62, are formed in panel 43 along the inside of lateral score lines 48, 49, respectively.

The width of the long side flap 44, that is, the short dimension of the side ap, is approximately the same as the longitudinal or short dimension of each half of the short side flaps 46, 47. The space between longitudinal score line 45 and the remote edge of the rectangular openings 63, 64, that is, distance A in Figure 6, preferably is equal to the length B of each of the terminal flap portions 51, 52.

The length of the intermediate portion 41 is shorter than the length of panel 43, the ends 65, 66 of portion 41 being spaced inwardly as shown from score lines 48, 49 of panel 43. The purpose of cutting back the ends of the intermediate portion 41 is to permit exposure of the ends of a rigid bar 75, which together with the intermediate portion constitutes the cross beam 13 of the cover, to facilitate engagement of the ends of this bar in the recesses 37 side wall supporting clips 35, as will be understood better from the description below.

The cover 10 preferably is folded to operative form by folding the various portions of the blank along score lines in the following manner. The intermediate portion 41 is folded about score lines 67, 68 until side walls 69, 70 thereof are substantially parallel and at right angles to the web 71, and the adjacent cover sections 11and 12 are folded about score lines 39, 40 until the sections lie in a common plane and are at right angles to the side walls 69, 70 of the intermediate portion 41. The intermediate portion thereby takes the shape of an upwardly opening channel of U-shaped cross section which depends from and below the plane of panels 43 of the cover sections 11 and 12, see Figure 7. Long side ilaps 44 are folded downwardly, as viewed in Figure 7, about score lines 45 to positions at right angles with the plane of panels 43 and terminal ap portions 51, 52 then are folded inwardly toward the intermediate portion 41 about score lines 53, 54 to respective positions of right angular relationship with the folded aps 44. The cover, as viewed from underneath in this partially folded condition, is illustrated in Figure 7.

Short side flaps 46, 47 of both sections 11 and 12 next art folded downwardly about score lines 48, 49 with inner flap parts 46b, 47h in juxtaposition with the outer surfaces of terminal tlap portions 51 and 52. The outer or terminal short side flap parts 46a, 47a then are folded iirst inwardly about transverse flap score lines 57, 58 and then upwardly about score lines 57', 58 and around terminal tlap portions 51, 52 into juxtaposition with the inside surfaces of the flap portions 51, 52, see Figures 9 and l0. Projecting tabs 61, 62 are then engaged in the adjacent rectangular slots 63, 64 of the panels 43 to secure short side flaps 46, 47 in their folded position around terminal ap portions 51, 52. The cover in its fully folded position is illustrated in Figure 8.

To complete the cover construction and, more particularly, in order to stffen and reinforce the channel shaped intermediate portion 41 and give it beam-like characteristics, a rigid bar 75 made of light-weight wood or other suitable material, is inserted edgewise into the channel until the bar bottoms on the web 71, and is cemented or otherwise secured to the side walls 69, 70 of the channel. The thickness and width of bai 75 preferably corresponds to the width and vertical depth, respectively, of

the channel while the length of the bar is greater than the length ofthe channel and preferably slightly less than the length of `panels 43. Accordingly, end portions 75a of the bar project slightly beyond each end of the channel for engagement in the recesses 37 of clips 3S on the top ends of the body side walls when the cover is assembled on the body 2.

The longitudinally spaced hanger receiving holes 14 may be formed in the bar 75 and side parts 69, 70 of the intermediate portion 41 at any desirable :time during the shaping of the cover. However, I have found it more convenient and therefore preferable to form these holes after the bar 75 has been secured in the channel of the intermediate portion.

The assembled cover 10 is next fitted over the open end of body 2 `with the projecting end portions 75a of the bar engaging tightly in the slots or recesses 37 of clips 35 on the side walls 7 `and 8 Of the body, see Figure l2. Since the inner legs 36 of the clips extend into the carton at an angle to the carton side Walls 7 and 8, the bar 75 is sup ported at points spaced inwardly from its ends and there is no danger that the bar will become disengaged from the clip. The narrower width of recesses 37 of the clip preferably is slightly less than the thickness of bar 75, the latter being force fitted into the recesses. The bar so gripped by the clips cannot slip transversely out of the clip recesses.

The carton is then ready for use.

Correct assembly of the cover 10 with the body is facilitated and assured because either section 11, 12 of the cover pivots upwardly in the same manner and each is symmetrically arranged about the center line of the cover. The depending side flaps of the cover not only insure substantially complete closure of the open end of the body but also enhance the columnar strength of the carton as a whole by serving as a reinforcing band around the top of the body, and hence it is possible to stack loaded cartons without crushing them.

It will be apparent that various modifications to and changes in the above described preferred embodiment of my invention will occur to those skilled in the art without, nevertheless, departing from the precepts and principles of my invention. Accordingly I do not wish my patent to be limited in any way which is inconsistent with the progress my invention has made in the art.

I claim:

l. A carton for storing clothes on hangers comprising a rectangular tubular body having four walls and flaps at one end defining a bottom closure, the other end of said body being open, the upper portion of one of said walls being separated from adjacent walls and being hinged to the lower portion of said one wall along a transverse score line, a detachable cover on the open end of said body, said cover having a central downwardly extending transverse clothes supporting beam and a pair of vertically swingable half sections hinged to said beam, clip means fitted over the upper ends of an opposite pair of the walls of said body, the -ends of said beam detachably engaging said clip means and being supported on the upper ends of said opposite body walls.

2. A clothes storing carton comprising a vertically elongated body open at the top end and having a plurality of vertical walls, a closure member detachably mounted on said top end of the body, a part of said member being pivotally connected to the balance of the member for swinging about a transverse axis from a position closing the top of the body to a position opening the top of the body, a rigid clothes support beam fixed to and depending from said cover and extending transversely of the top end of said body, clip means on a pair of opposite walls of said body for distributing the load of said beam to said pair of walls, and door means in the upper portion of one of said walls and hinged to the lower portion of said one wall, said door means Vand said pivotal part of the closure member being swingable outwardly from said body to provide access to the interior of said carton.

3. A corrugated berboard cover for the top of a clothes storage carton, said cover comprising substantially identical sections each having a plane rectangular 4top wall and side walls depending from three edges of the top wall and at right angles thereto, an. integral transversely extending intermediate portion between said sece tions connecting the fourth edges of the top walls together, said portion being channel-shaped in cross section and extending below the planes of the top walls of said sections and having a length shorter than the length of each section, a rigid bar in the channel of said portion, said bar being longer than said portion and shorter than each section, the ends of the bar projecting slightly beyond the ends of said portion, and a plurality of clothes supporting holes in said bar and said intermediate portion.

4. A corrugated berboard cover for the top of a clothes storage carton, said cover being for-mcd from a single blank and comprising substantially identical adjacent sections each having a plane rectangular top wall and side walls depending from three edges of the top wall at right angles thereto, `an intermediate portion between said sections and connecting the fourth edges of the top walls together, each of the opposed side walls of each section adjacent the intermediate portion comprising a single side ilap folded to double wall thickness, and an end ap on the remaining side wall disposed between and interlocked with the folded side flaps.

5. The cover according to claim 4 with an opening in the top Wall adjacent the edge thereof from which each of said opposed side walls depends, the outer end of each side flap having a tab engageable in said opening when said side tlap is folded to secure the side ap in folded position.

6. A blank for a cover of a clothes storage carton comprising a sheet of corrugated berboard having a length and a width, said sheet having first and second longitudinally extending sections and an intermediate portion between said sections, the length of said sections being equal to each other and greater than the length of said intermediate port-ion, each of said sections having a central panel with short side aps and a long side iiap remote from the intermediate portion, said long and short side flaps being connected to said panel along longitudinal and transverse score lines, respectively, said long side flap having terminal portions extending longitudinally from opposite ends thereof adjacent to the short side aps, respectively, each of said short side flaps being scored centrally and transversely of the length thereof, the length of each short side flap being substantially twice the width of each terminal portion of the long side iiap, said intermediate portion being connected to `said panels along longitudinally extending score lines and having a pair of closely spaced parallel central score lines which extend parallel to and between the first mentioned score lines.

7. A foldable clothes storing carton comprising an elongated tubular body rectangular in cross-section and having an open top end, said body having side walls and a front wall and a back wall, said side walls having marginal flaps extending inwardly from the top open end of the body, an inverted V-shaped clip having a vertical recess therein and fitted over the top edge of the central part of each side wall, a cover over the top end of the body, said cover comprising substantially identical sections each having a plane rectangular top wall and side flaps depending from three edges of the top wall, a transversely extending immediate portion between said sections connecting the fourth edges of the top walls together, said portion being channel shaped in cross-section and ex tending below the planes of the top walls of said sections and having a length shorter than the length of each section, a rigid bar in the channel of said portion, said bar being longer than said portion and shorter than each section, the ends of the bar projecting slightly beyond the ends of said portion, a plurality of clothes supporting holes in said bar and said intermediate portion, the ends of said bar engaging in the recesses of said clips, respectively, and transmitting the load on said bar to the side walls of said body, at least one of said cover sections being swingable vertically about its fourth edge to provide access to the interior of said carton.

v8. A blank for a cover of a clothes storage carton comprising a single sheet of corrugated berboard having a length and a width, said sheet having first and second longitudinally extending sections and a longitudinally extending intermediate portion between said sections and connected thereto along laterally spaced longitudinal score lines, the length of said sections being equal to each other and greater than the length of said intermediate portion, each of said sections having a central panel with short side aps and a long side flap remote from the intermediate portion, 4said long and short side `naps being connected to said panel along longitudinal and transverse score lines, respectively, said long side ap having terminal portions extending longitudinally from opposite ends thereof adjacent to the short side aps, respectively, the length of each side ap being substantially twice the width of said terminal portions of the long side aps, a

locking tab on the outer longitudinal end of each short side ap, and an opening at each longitudinal end of each panel in longitudinal alignment with the tab on the adjacent short side ap.

9. A foldable clothes storing carton comprising an elongated body having opposed parallelY verticz'xllyflis-K posed side walls and foldable on vertically extending score Y lines from at folded form to extended tubular form, a

foldable cover detachably telescoped over one end of said body, said cover comprising identical half sections hinged together along their mid portions, a clothessupport beam 'depending from 'said cover at the hinged connection of said sections and detachably supported on an opposite pair of the walls of said body, the upper end portion of another of the walls of said body comprising an outwardly swingable drop door, at least one of said vcover sections adjacent said drop door being swingable upwardly from a closed position overlapping said drop door to an open position whereby to permit said drop door to swing out and to provide access to said beam from both the side and upper end of said body.

References Cited in the le of this patent, UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,210,127 Wood Dec. 26, 1916 1,470,688 Cleeland Oct. 16, 1923 2,535,233 Ross Dec. 26, 1950 2,561,053 Fallert July 17, 1951 2,627,970 Perkins Feb. 10, 1953 V2,671,601 Leavitt Ma-r. 9, 1954 2,679,348 Tichenor May 25, 1954 2,689,078 Andrew Sept. 14, 1954 

